Monday, July 6, 2009

Coups, Intervention, Hypocrisy and Mexican Foreign Policy

By Barnard R. Thompson

In condemning the so-called "coup d'état" (golpe de estado) in Honduras, at one fell swoop Mexican President Felipe Calderón not only disregarded Mexico's long standing canons of nonintervention, self-determination of peoples, and respect for sovereignty – he violated the very Constitution of his nation.

 

While visiting Nicaragua on June 29, to participate in Central America's System of Integration (SICA) meetings as well as Rio Group activities, President Calderón made the following statement during his arrival speech.

 

“On behalf of the people and government of Mexico, and also the Rio Group, I wish to express, to endorse, our most energetic condemnation of the coup d´état carried out in Honduras yesterday; and of course to repeat our demand for respect of the institutional order, the constitutional order, the constitutionally elected authorities and, specifically, (Honduran) President Manuel Zelaya.”

 

A statement that corresponded with those of many world leaders and institutions based supposedly on international law, treaties and agreements, irrespective of what the national story and real facts may be or have been in Honduras.

 

Yet a position that too begs the question – are those speaking out really supporting democratic systems and the will of the people?  If so fine.

However, if to protect their own interests presidents take sides with fellow heads of state with selfish or hidden agendas, those who may violate not only their nations' constitutions but too their mandates, the calls for democracy and the rule of law ring hollow.  This is not to say, in the case of Honduras, that the Mexican president is protecting his own interests, but the point needs to be made insofar as there are those who are not altruistic.

Prior to 1988, Article 89 ("The powers and obligations of the President are the following"), item X, of the Mexican Constitution said: "To direct diplomatic negotiations and to sign treaties with foreign powers, submitting them to the Federal Congress for ratification."

 

In 1988, item X was amended as follows: "To direct foreign policy and to sign international treaties, submitting them to the Senate for approval.  In conducting such policy, the (President) will observe the following guideline principles: the self-determination of peoples; nonintervention; the peaceful solution of controversies; proscription of threat or the use of force in international relations; legal equality of States; international cooperation for development; and the struggle for international peace and security."

 

Moreover, in February 2007 the first sentence of item X was extended: "To direct foreign policy and to sign international treaties, as well as to terminate, denounce, suspend, modify, amend, withdraw reserves and to formulate interpretive declarations on the same, submitting them to the Senate for approval."  (Emphasis added)

Beyond violations of canons and law – and a probable myopic take on events in Honduras, the Mexican president also displayed double standards.  This when one reflects on often-heard Mexican complaints that its northern neighbor, the United States of America, intervenes in Mexico's domestic affairs and fails to respect its sovereignty (condemnations that have at times been true).

 

Parenthetically it should be added that Calderón is no more a hypocrite than U.S. President Barack Obama, this when one compares Obama's milquetoast stance on Iran's elections in contrast to his determined position regarding Honduras and the ouster of President José Manuel Zelaya Rosales.  Among other things, with respect to Honduras, Obama said, "It would be a terrible precedent if we start moving backward into the era in which we are seeing military coups as a means of political transition rather than democratic elections."

 

All well and good, but what about Iran (irrespective of differing circumstances)?

 

President Calderón, it would appear, has also driven another of his nails in the coffin of the PRI-era Estrada Doctrine.  Named for Genaro Estrada, Mexico's foreign minister in 1930, the foreign policy doctrine was in force for more than 70 years.

 

In brief, the Estrada Doctrine said that Mexico should not judge other countries positively or negatively, nor recognize changes in government of other nations or de facto governments, because to do so would involve meddling in their sovereignty.  Hurting the sovereignty of other nations, in turn, would make them vulnerable to judgment by other governments that assume critical attitudes regarding the legality and legitimacy of foreign governments.

 

During the administration of Vicente Fox [2000-2006], as noted in an excerpt from a paper of the World Association of International Studies, at Stanford University in California, Fox evoked the Estrada Doctrine during a tour of Central America.  "Fox was telling the Central American leaders that, unlike the US, he would not interfere in their countries…."

President Calderón however, in his aforementioned arrival speech in Nicaragua, said:

"We also come to demonstrate our support to the people of Honduras and their president, President Zelaya, and to say that Mexico categorically rejects this breakdown of constitutional order insofar as the only way to gain power in a democracy is through ballot boxes, and that armed force must not be resorted to in order to violate this constitutional order.

"… we will be analyzing these reprehensible events and, certainly, deliberating, together with other heads of state or their representatives here in Managua, the course of action for Latin American nations, which besides being sisters of the Honduran nation we are also representatives of the organizations that, as is the case of the Organization of American States in its Charter, as in the different constitutive documents of the Rio Group and other elements, endorse accordance with constitutional principles and (express) our repudiation of these absolutely reprehensible devices in the XXI Century and among nations that pride themselves for being democratic and for respecting human rights."

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Barnard Thompson, editor of MexiData.info, has spent 50 years in Mexico and Latin America, providing multinational clients with actionable intelligence; country and political risk reporting and analysis; and business, lobbying, and problem resolution services.